Her Hidden Soul
by TrueDarkHero
Summary: An Ionic storm, a breech, and a change of views. Will be B'Elanna and Seven pairing. ON LONG HIATUS. May not get back to it. If I do, it will have revamping done. ON LONG HIATUS. May never be complete
1. A Sensation of Humanity

Author's Note:

Okay for one, I would like to mention that though Tom and B'Elanna did get together, they are NOT married. Okay? Oh and this will be a lesbian fanfiction. If you don't like it don't read it. If you truly truly feel the need to flame, please do so in a constructive manner so I can improve my work

. okay I think I've covered most of it…. So… there you go

Very much a corruption of the show.

* * *

I waited for her tirade to end. Her yelling was disrupting the rest of the shift and though I almost wished to patiently wait her out, I decided that it would be inefficient to do so. I calmly interrupted her current speech. 

"Lt. your adjustments were incorrect, not flawed." I said softly. It caused her to go purple. I sighed internally even as my nanoprobes whisked away the hormones.

"What!" She roared. I turned back to the consul and tapped a few of the keys. She gripped my arm and tried to pull me away. She succeeded only in moving my arm enough for me to miss one of the keys. I felt a brief flash of anger before that too was whisked away. "It is not incorrect! The containment field was fine!"

"The power needed to be adjusted by two point five six nine percent to contain it safely." I replied smoothly. Of course, I would never say it whose safety I was concerned about.

"Seven, just leave." B'Elanna said with a barely controlled voice. She was at the edge of her limits and I knew it. I nodded and left, drawing looks as the doors opened and closed behind me. Just as the door closed, a voice drifted to me.

"Ice queen has left the area."

* * *

"Captain, do something about her! She is getting on my nerves! She keeps interfering with my department! She keeps fiddling with things without asking or telling me why!" B'Elanna said to the captain. 

The captain, on the other hand, studied her. She could see the half-klingon's side, but she also understood Seven's point of view. Seven was only trying to keep everyone safe.

"Lt. I know you dislike Seven."

"That's an understatement." B'Elanna muttered under her breath. The captain gave her a sharp look.

"I will talk to her. But I want you to try and control your temper. She seems to bring out the worst in you. Maybe if you try just listening to her, she wouldn't seem so bad."

"Fat chance." The captain let that one slide by.

"Dismissed." B'Elanna stalked out of the room, still angry about the incident earlier. The captain finished the rest of her morning coffee and stood up. She sighed as she left the room. It felt like it was going to be one of those days.

* * *

I was logging off when the captain strode into the room, looking stern and disappointed. I immediately knew why she was here. Clearly the Lieutenant had spoken to Janeway, who was now going to reprimand me. I slipped her hands behind my back and waited stoically for the words to come. 

"Seven." Jane way said with a sigh of frustration.

"Captain." I acknowledged.

"Lt Torres has filed another complaint. She is tired of you interfering with her department." The captain said. Her eyes were flashing.

"I apologize Captain. The containment field was causing a steady leak of trance amounts of radiation. Many of the crewmen would have reported ill within a few hours." I replied. It was true enough. I was just more concerned with one person's well being.

"Seven, I can understand you wanted to help, but it would have been better if you told B'Elanna of your calculations rather than just go ahead and correct it. She would have gladly accepted your help." She replied with another sigh

I raised a brow. "Improbable."

"Seven, I am ordering you to ask B'Elanna for her permission to alter anything in the engineering room. And that includes using consuls outside the room Seven." I sighed but nodded grimly.

"Yes Captain."

"It might be easier if you just avoid B'Elanna entirely. Just leave her alone Seven." The captain turned and left the room, leaving me standing stiffly, my eyes trained on the far wall. My nanoprobes destroyed the faint flash of emotion before it ever showed on my face.

* * *

B'Elanna smiled as she looked around her engineering room. Everything was running smoothly. Everything was running on schedule and everyone was doing their assigned tasks. She stretched after hours of paperwork. It had been a good day. 

Her smile slipped when she saw who just entered with a data pad in her hand. Seven walked in at her usual brisk pace, pausing to search the room. She headed towards the half-klingon. B'Elanna could feel herself already becoming angry.

Seven hadn't been in the engineering room in over two weeks. B'Elanna glared at the former Borg who had once again invaded her department.

"Seven, what the hell are you doing here?" she snapped. When she saw something flicker in Seven's eyes she felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Lt. While I was waiting for a long range scan to complete, I ran a short range scan of the immediate area. There is an ionic storm two point six light-years from our present location. The information may be valuable to adjusting shielding to compensate." Seven handed the data pad she held to B'Elanna who gripped it with white fingers as she watched Seven leave the room.

"Thank you…" she mumbled under her breath at the closing doors. She quickly looked over the scans information. "Strange ionic storm." She tapped her comm. to speak to the captain.

* * *

The ship lurched as it passed through the ionic storm. I barely kept my balance as the ship gave another buck at the ionic storm. A console near me sparked, followed by the one I stood at. 

When the ship next lurched a few seconds later, I fell to the ground. Pain blossomed throughout my torso. I began to feel slightly ill and my vision began to fade. A pink mist filtered past my eyes just before I fell unconscious.

"Captain, there's been a breech." Kim said from his consul on the bridge. Janeway gripped the arms of her chair.

"Where?" she snapped. She heard a few keys being tapped before Kim responded.

"In Astrometrics, strangely enough." Kim said.

"Oh god Seven!" Janeway said.

* * *

"Seal that breech!" B'Elanna snapped at Voric. He obeyed, his impassive Vulcan face not showing any sign of stress. B'Elanna sealed a breech to cargo bay one and kept a close eye on the engine. 

"The breech is now sealed, although I must tell you that some of the ions from the storm briefly entered Astrometrics." Voric reported a few minutes later.

"Fine." She replied automatically. It wasn't until the ship began to enter clear space that she realized what that meant. "Oh shit, Seven!"

* * *

_Something was wrong. Nothing seemed to be the same. Something had changed something significant. I just couldn't sense what it was._

_The friendly smiles all around me seemed aimed towards me. Even Tuvok seemed to be smiling. They all seemed so happy to see me. They urged me to continue on, their words slurred into oblivion. _

_I drew closer to my destination. The doors opened and the engine room was revealed to my eyes. Only one person stood in the room. She turned to look at me. _

_Her eyes sparkled. She knew exactly who it was. But I didn't see her frown or the angry look that sent others running. I saw something I had only seen briefly before and that always left her face when she saw me. She was smiling and it grew when she saw me. But just as she took a step towards me, it turned to black._

Light began to leech through my eye lids. When I opened my eyes, I realized ithad all beena dream. It happened, though only rarely and usually they were nightmares.

I focused on the three faces looming over me. The doctor broke out into a smile when he saw I was functioning.

"Hello Seven, glad to have you back. You took a nasty bump to the head, although you don't seem to be suffering any ill effects to your exposure to the ion storm. After you have rested, you'll be given a bill of good health." He replied. He smiled at the Captain. "She's all yours."

"Glad to see you're alright Seven." Janeway said, smiling.

I shook of the sense of fatigue I was feeling. "I am functioning within accepted parameters." I replied. She smiled and patted me on the shoulder.

"I have to return to the bridge. I hereby order you to relax here for the rest of the day." Janeway left.

"Lt, I assure you, I am functioning properly." I told the last remaining person in the room.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. And I wanted to thank you." She rubbed the back of her neck. "For giving me that data pad. I know you didn't have to, and the ship would have come out with a lot more damage without it." She gave me a timid smile. "Thanks."

I felt an unaccustomed warmth spread through my body. "You're welcome Lt." I replied. Her smile became a little less shy when the Doctor returned.

"Lt Torres, I am going to have to ask you to leave. My patient needs her rest." When she nodded and left, I thought I felt a brief flash of emotion. A flash of disappointment.

* * *

"How is Seven?" Chakotay asked when Janeway stepped onto the bridge. She gave him a small smile. 

"She's fine. A good knock to her head, but the doctor has cleared her for duty once she's had some rest." Chakotay let out a small sigh of relief at which Janeway gave him a raised brow.

"I'm glad to hear it." He said as a cover though he turned a bright red. Janeway let it drop and told Paris to resume course.

"Ai, Captain."

* * *

It felt good to move around. The doctor was irritating at times. Not that it was his fault, but nonetheless, I wish sometimes he would be a bit quieter. 

The people in the corridor gave me odd looks, but for the most part they left me alone. I headed towards the cargo bay to regenerate my nanoprobes. It was something I had come to live with everyday, the looks, and the names.

"Looks like the drone is being put away." Someone said behind me.

"It thinks it so much smarter than us, but how can it? It's only a machine." Someone else replied.

When the cargo bay doors closed behind me, I felt something new. It was uncomfortable and made my eye burn. I raised my hand to my real eye and it had a salty fluid seeping out.

I realized what it was almost instantly. They were tears. My tears. I was crying. The uncomfortable feeling was… hurt. For some reason, I was hurt at what the crewmen had said.

I wiped my eye with the back of the sleeve of my bio suit, wiping the tears away. I stepped onto the active Borg alcove to regenerate.

After a few moments, I stumbled out of the alcove. It felt as though something was horribly wrong once more. It was painful to regenerate. I collapsed to the ground. I tapped my comm. badge weakly.

"Seven to the doctor."

"Doctor here."

"Doctor… I require…" I couldn't finish the sentence before I fell unconscious.

* * *

Author's note: More to come! I write faster when given encouragement. (hint hint) 


	2. A New Life

Author's Note: Oh my god! I can't believe it! I got… what… six reviews in like two days? Okay, I know, sad that I think that's the best thing in the world… but still, I so love gettgin feed back.

Okay I plan on correcting the errors that were pointed out consul is really consule? Go figure Just not at the moment cause… I'm lazy/busy

Enjoy the second chapter.

* * *

"Seven?" The doctor said into his comm. She gave no response. "Computer, scan for Seven of Nine." 

"Seven of Nine is in cargo bay two." It replied almost instantly.

"Doctor to Captain Janeway." He said to his comm.

"Janeway here."

"Will you please check on Seven? She just contacted me, but cut off. She's in cargo bay two." The doctor said with a hint of concern.

"On my way." Janeway said. The communications ended.

* * *

The captain stepped into the cargo bay, looked around. Her eyes automatically went to the alcove, but it was empty. A frown graced her features when she didn't spot Seven immediately. 

"Seven?" She called as she wove through the containers. "Seven!" Her eyes widened when she saw Seven collapsed on the base of one alcove. "Seven!" Janeway searched for a pulse and found one, but it was much too rapid and Seven's breathing was shallow. "Janeway to the doctor, you're going to have company."

"Understood."

"Two to beam directly into sickbay." The transporter beam picked them up and the next thing she knew, she was in sickbay. She lifted the younger woman onto the medical bay bed. The Doctor quickly began to use a medical triquarter to scan Seven. The heavy frown that appeared on his face wasn't reassuring.

"Doctor?" Janeway questioned and the doctor responded automatically.

"The amount of metallic alloys in her blood has dropped by almost ninety percent." He continued to scan. "Not only that, but her blood pressure is through the roof and her alveoli aren't picking up as much oxygen as they should." The Doctor extracted some of Seven's blood to place under a microscope.

"Captain, tell me what you think of this." He moved aside to let Janeway take a look at the blood sample.

"It looks like normal blood, except for those blue cells." Janeway lifted her head from the eyepiece.

"Captain, there aren't any nanoprobes in there. Those blue cells aren't cells. They are made up of a metallic organic compound which I haven't seen before." The doctor turned back to Seven and hooked her up to an artificial respirator. "I'm hoping that increasing the oxygen level in her blood will lower her heart rate. I'll have to run more tests and try to find the reason for this change before I can truly do anything. I'll keep you informed."

Janeway nodded and headed back to the bridge to inform Chakotay. For the first time in a long time, she prayed.

* * *

_**Little one. **I didn't want to get up, to leave the comforting darkness. **Little one. **I tried to ignore the gentle voice. **Little one! **I jumped to my feet at the barked order. I opened my eyes. _

_The halls of the ship were silent. No one was walking down the hallway no one was around. The normal sounds of living were notably absent. The lack of noise was almost as frightening as there being no one._

_**Go to the Mess Hall.** I obeyed that voice. When I reached the doors, they parted for me, and my eyes widened at what I saw. _

_The room was absolutely packed. Everyone in the ship was packed into the small mess hall. Not one made a sound, though a few had tears slipping from their eyes._

_**Go on, they won't notice you. Go see what they see.** I was propelled forward, through the mass of bodies. It was if I was a ghost to them. I managed to get to the front, where Tuvok, Commander Chakotay, and the Captain all stood. Tuvok was holding back tears and Chakotay openly wept. The captain's voice broke when she spoke._

_I didn't actually hear her words, but I knew what she was saying. There were coffins, resting on a table. I stepped forward to look into the faces of who had died._

_In one small coffin was a child, no more than a year old. Her klingon characteristics made it obvious as to whose child it was. B'Elanna's and Lt. Paris's child. In the coffin next to the baby was B'Elanna herself. She looked peaceful in death, her face smooth and without the pressure of day to day living._

_The third and final coffin took the longest for me to gather my courage to look into. I knew I would have screamed if I could have made my throat work. Inside the third coffin was my own face. The implants shone in the light, glittering. There were burns on one side, piercing through the skull to damage the cordical node. _

_**You died trying to save B'Elanna and the child. You were forced to hide behind your Borg technology and you life was taken from you. Even when Janeway freed you, you were still within the cage you were just able to see beyond it. You're truly free now. Make the best of it.** The voice was maternal and caring. Almost like the tone the captain sometimes gained. It filled me with the feeling of security. **Don't waste this chance.**_

I opened my eyes to look around me. I was in the sickbay, on one of the medical beds. The doctor was humming in his office, a light tune of a forgotten musician.

I was restrained to the bed, and an artificial respirator forced oxygen into my lungs. I could feel the needle in my arm, taking samples of my blood, monitoring the different levels within the blood.

The doctor came over, continuing to hum. When he saw that I was awake, he broke out into a broad smile.

"Seven! You're awake. How do you feel?" He waited for my reply until he realized that the respirator inhibited my speech. "Sorry Seven. Do you think you can breathe on you own? Blink once for yes, twice for no.' I purposefully closed my eyes once. He carefully removed the tube from my lung.

"Doctor." I said when I could. He shook his head.

"You were in a coma for close to a week. You stabilized two days ago. At first, your blood pressure was higher than most humanoid species can tolerate and your oxygen level was low. You began to have minor seizures, so we were forced to restrain you so you would not hurt yourself. You temperature rose three days after that, to about fifty degrees. A while after that, your brain activity picked up and you stabilized shortly after that." He ran a hand over my hair. "I'm glad you're okay Seven."

He tapped his comm. badge. "Doctor to Janeway."

"Janeway here." The captain's voice replied.

"You asked to be informed when Seven awoke." The doctor stated. "She's well enough to allow visitors."

"On my way, Janeway out." The comm. badge chirped. The doctor smiled at me.

"The captain has been quite worried about you. I had to order her out of sickbay yesterday to get some sleep." He turned to look at the console, checking the data it gave him. "Lt. Torres was also worried, though heaven forbid she admit it. She regrets what happened to you. I think she's blaming herself." The doors slid open.

"Doctor, I need to run a diagnostic of the systems in here," The familiar voice said. "For maintenance." She added. The doctor shook his head to keep from laughing.

"You ran that diagnostic yesterday. Why not just keep Seven company until the captain gets here." The doctor went back into his office, whistling a happy song that I didn't recognize.

"Hello Seven." B'Elanna pulled up a nearby stool and sat to Seven's left. The half klingon let her gaze wander for a few moments. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Seven murmured. It drew B'Elanna's gaze to her.

"Should I get the doctor?" she asked quickly. I shook my head carefully.

"I will be functioning within acceptable perimeters soon." Something was missing. I just couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"Seven, how are you taking it?" B'Elanna asked. I gave her a quizzical look. Except it was only the barest of movements in my eyebrow. The doors slid open before she had a chance to answer.

"B'Elanna, how's the patient?" Janeway said. She came to stand next to B'Elanna. She gave me a smile. "Glad you're feeling better." Her smile slipped a bit. "Has the doctor told you yet?"

"No Captain, I haven't. I thought it best to have a comforting presence nearby when I told her." The doctor came out of his office with a serious look. He released the restraints and helped me sit up. He gave me a data pad. I quickly scanned through it. It had the complete blood work of one of the crewmembers. It seemed as though the person had picked up a virus or a parasite.

"I am not familiar with this organism." I handed the pad back to the doctor. "I would suggest asking Lt. Tuvok, perhaps he may be of assistance in identifying it." The doctor gave me a half smile.

"Seven, this is your blood, taken ten minutes ago. The nebula gas… destroyed your nanoprobes and those organisms have taken over some of their functions." He said it gently, but it still shocked me. I knew it was showing when Janeway placed a hand on my shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. "That's why when you tried to regenerate, it damaged some of your systems."

I tried to maintain my composure, but it slipped just a bit. "My cordical node?" He shook his head.

"Replaced with a smaller structure of the organic alloy that's in your blood. All your implants are. It will be a big adjustment on your part. There is no more need to regenerate, just as your biosuit is no longer needed to help the nanoprobes. Your body will require a lot more sustenance now. And you'll need to get a good amount of sleep. No more pulling eighteen hour days." I nodded to acknowledge his words.

"Eighteen hour days?" I winced at the tone in the captain's voice. I had never told her because I knew she wouldn't approve.

"Yes Captain. Eighteen hour days. But it was that or telling Seven she had to do nothing for at least four hours a day." The doctor replied.

"Why didn't you go have fun? Go on the holodeck or something." B'Elanna commented. I looked at my hands and tried to remain calm.

"Okay you two are upsetting my patient, so unless you can drop the subject, I want you out of my sickbay." The captain went to stand a few feet away, muttering to herself. I pretended I couldn't hear her words.

"Seven? Why not join some of the other crewmembers at Sullivan's sometimes?" B'Elanna commented.

"Who would you suggest Lt.? Your dislike of me is widespread among the crew. I would rather not be made the target of more remarks that I already am." I said. I said it with a bit of anger, the hot rage that seemed to have suddenly washed over my system.

B'Elanna didn't know how to reply. She was about to say something when she was summoned to engineering. She left quickly, unable to contain her embarrassment.

"Seven, I hope you know I'm there to talk if you need it." Janeway said quietly. I let my muscles relax.

"I am aware of that Captain." I replied. She pulled me forward and gave me a firm embrace. I patted her back awkwardly, though a blanket of security settled on my shoulders.

"I have to get back to the bridge. But I will make sure that you have quarters set up so when you're released from sickbay you have somewhere to go." I nodded into her shoulder and she left the doors sliding closed behind her.

"It'll be alright Seven. We'll figure this out." The doctor tried to be reassuring, but it was so hard to believe him just right now.

* * *

"Hey chief!" one of the crewmen waved from his console. B'Elanna waved back as she headed for her office. Another crewman stepped into her path. In his hand was a data pad. 

"Here you go Lt. that report you wanted. So, is the machine fully repaired yet?" his cruel smirk of satisfaction told her who he was talking about.

"Back to your station Crewman." He obeyed immediately and B'Elanna went into her office, report in hand and guilt gnawing at her.

* * *

I sipped at the hot drink that Nelix had assured me was both nutritious and tasty. I sighed. It was most definitely one of those acquired tastes that the doctor had told me. The tea was bitter, but it soothed my nerves. The doctor had ordered me not to return to Astrometrics for another two days. To make sure I followed his orders, he informed the captain, who promptly added her own command. 

I had no idea what I was to do with leisure time. The captain had ordered me to take leisure time that I was not to do any work for the time that the doctor said I wasn't to be in Astrometrics.

The captain had suggested that I use some of the replicator rations I had saved to 'get a wardrobe and to add a personal touch to my quarters'. I had looked over some of the clothing selections, and settled on an Astrometrics uniform, which is what I was currently wearing. The captain had made her disappointment of my choice obvious, but had not tried to correct it.

It was late. The beta shift had traded with the gamma shift an hour ago. The doctor would be horrified to know that I wasn't sleeping. But sleep just would not come to me. No matter how long I lay on the bed in my quarters, sleep would not come to me.

"Up so early? I know the captain gave you strict orders to relax." I turned to see B'Elanna yawn as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"I find the view aesthetically pleasing." I replied as I turned to gaze out at the stars flashing by.

"Nice one. Couldn't sleep either?" B'Elanna commented. I shook my head. "I just couldn't get comfortable and I was keeping Tom up with my tossing and turning."

"You both work the Alpha ship correct?" I commented. She nodded and sighed.

"Yes, but as Chief Engineer I have a lot of overtime. Tom gets mad sometimes at the hours I work." She shook her head. "But you don't want to hear about my love life." She peeked into my mug. "What is that?"

"Chamomile tea. I was reassured it was soothing for the nerves." I took another sip of the liquid in question.

"Don't know how you stand it. I find most herbal teas disgusting and I can't force myself to drink them." She took a sip of her coffee. "The captain would be surprised that I drink coffee sometimes, so please don't tell her. She'll think she has another convert."

"Understood. The captain will not hear of it from me." I replied. She gave me a smile and waved, leaving the room. I turned back to the view. I touched the metallic blue alloy that had replaced the implants near my eye and sighed. "No, she will not hear it from me."

* * *

"Where were you this morning? I missed you." Tom said as he collapsed in the chair across from B'Elanna. His hair was a mess from running his had through it too many times. She raised her sandwich to her month and took a bite 

"I couldn't sleep and I was keeping you up, so I decided to get some of Nelix's coffee and work on some reports that I've been putting off. Seven was here and we had a nice chat." B'Elanna frowned when Tom nearly choked on his drink. "Tom?"

"You and the Borg Queen had a civilized conversation that didn't end up with security being dragged in? What'd she do, drug you?" Tom shook his head in a condescending way. "Sometimes I wonder."

"Tom you're being ridiculous." B'Elanna retorted. "Seven is really nice, she just gets on my nerves sometimes."

"I wonder what drug she used." Tom continued. B'Elanna swatted him and he laughed.

"She didn't and you know it."

"I think you gave me a bruise." Tom said, rubbing his arm. When B'Elanna glared at him, he got up. "I think I'm gonna go see if Harry wants to go to Sulivan's later. Want to join us if we do?"

"Sorry Hon, paperwork." She gave him a rueful smile, her anger already forgotten. "See you at home." He nodded and left.

* * *

"Seven, I thought you weren't supposed to be in here?" Chakotay said as he entered Astrometrics. He went to a nearby console. 

"Orders were that I was not to engage in any manner of work, that I was to have some leisure time. This is the most efficient place to create series of holographic commands." I replied. I hoped he would just leave me alone at that. But of course, this was Chakotay, and he didn't know when to leave things alone

"You writing a holonovel?" He inquired. I sighed.

"Creating is too broad concept. I am merely deciding what is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and programming plausible characters." He laughed.

"Well, I promise not to tell the captain you're in here making a holonovel. Good luck with it." He was still chuckling when he left the room.

He was irritating. Something about the way he spoke made me want to get away from him. He was intelligent, but somehow, he acted like Lt. Paris sometimes, with the pilot's miniscule I.Q.

I shook my head to get rid of the odd thoughts and returned to typing in the long, complex patterns that would hopefully form a realistic being in the hologrid.

* * *

"Doctor to Lt. Torres." The doctor's voice rang over the comm. system, interrupting the klingon, who was currently adjusting a warp conduit. 

"Torres here. Can this wait doctor? I'm busy." She replied as she carefully scanned the adjustment for faults.

"Unless it is something that no one else on the ship can do, I want you here now. You're late for your checkup." B'Elanna groaned. She had totally forgotten that the Doctor had scheduled her in for about now.

"Sorry Doctor, it slipped my mind. I'll be there in ten." She reached to adjust it a bit more.

"Now Lt.!" She sighed at the doctor's order and handed the assignment off to Voric, ever patiently standing by.

"Make sure to get it precise! Don't want any experiments leaking into the warp core!" she hurried out the doors to the turbo lift.

She stepped into the sickbay to meet a grumpy doctor and Seven. Seven was standing near the microscope, looking at some sample beneath it.

"Glad you finally decided to show up." The doctor said sarcastically.

"What put you in such a bad mood?" The engineer said as she hopped onto bio bed. He immediately began scanning her with a medical tri-quarter, muttering something under his breath. "What?"

"I do believe he was stating the fact that I disrupted his routine by asking to study the samples of my blood he took." Seven stated. B'Elanna could have sworn she sounded a bit put out.

"Seven, when I said you needed to relax this is not what I meant! I meant go have fun, go singing or something! Not do an analysis of your own blood!" The doctor snapped. He slammed the scanner onto the tray. Though he was obviously furious, when he took the blood sample, he was as careful as ever.

"I am required to relax and I find this easing tension. Does that satisfy you Doctor?" Seven replied without looking up.

"Maybe that nebula did more to your head than to your body." The doctor muttered. "I will be back in a few minutes." The doctor went into his office, analyzing the tube of blood. B'Elanna hopped off the biobed and stretched.

"Do you really find that relaxing?" She asked Seven. The former Borg spared her a quick glance.

"No." Seven adjusted the settings of the magnification. "It occupies time."

"Why not read a book or something. That's bound to be better than doing that." The klingon gave Seven a smile. "Heck, I could recommend a few books, though I have no idea what type you like."

"Lt. I would rather do this." The tone in Seven's voice brooded no argument. B'Elanna chose to be unrelenting.

"Why? It's got to be dull as hell." B'Elanna was surprised when Seven turned to face her. Her face was unreadable, the blue implant dark against the pale skin.

"Because I need to understand." B'Elanna thought she saw some trace in Seven's bright eyes. A haunted look, one of confusion and desperation. Not one she would have associated with the woman.

"Seven?" B'Elanna stepped closer instinctively, the maternal side of her making its rare appearance.

"I have to comprehend what this means." Her eyes were frustrated. It didn't show in anything else but her eyes, but it was still there. "There is no precedent, no pattern, nothing to indicate a change but the organic alloy. There is no logic behind this."

"Let me take a look." B'Elanna offered. The other woman stepped aside and allowed her to see the sample.

It wasn't logical, if you looked at it though a viewpoint like the Borg. The organic alloys seemed chaotic, but after a few moments observation, B'Elanna noticed something. Seven's human cells moved in much the same manner. It was an efficient chaos. The two systems were in perfect harmony, with neither dominating the other. Whatever the alloy was, it was clearly an improvement over the nanoprobes.

"Seven, there is a pattern to the alloy. Watch the other cells for a few moments." B'Elanna calmly told Seven, who complied.

"They work efficiently together. With stability and harmony, they achieve what the Borg could not, acceptance of the invasion by the host body." Seven's tone was a combination of relief and understanding, with just a hint of something else. "Thank you. For showing me." Within Seven's eyes and voice was a wealth of information and B'Elanna couldn't understand why she didn't see that before.

"Hey no problem." The doctor made his timely entrance just then. He had a hesitant look.

"Have you been feeling nausea at all?" B'Elanna shook her head. "Any change in bowel movements?"

"Not that I noticed. Why?"

"Well, I would like to be the first to congratulate you. You're pregnant." Whatever she had expected, it clearly had not been that. Her jaw went slack and her eyes lost focus.

"Pregnant?" she whispered.

* * *

Lol, okay, I thought I should mention, B'Elanna is NOT married. And sorry people, I'm not the biggest fan of Tom, but I'll try not to be too mean to him… I know exactly where the next few chapters are going, I just haven't written any of it yet. 

And sorry if you get confused by the changing views, but so you know only Seven is narrative.


	3. Dance with Me

Author's Note: I'm sorry about this people! I really meant to update sooner. I just kinda forgot that I had to actually post the chapters. Anyway, this is a short chapter, but here you go. Tell me what you think. It'll be a few days before I put up another chapter.

by the way, totally off topic, but does ANYONE know how to spell the game Seven and Naomi play? Cause I can't find it! It would be appreciated if someone could tell me.

Anyway, enjoy!

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Something was wrong. It was obviously not a planned pregnancy, but I didn't think that B'Elanna was against having children. I stepped closer to her and stood tall, settling into my customary position.

"It is customary to offer congratulations to the future mother. My congratulations." She remained unfocused. I unclasped my hands and gently rested my hand on her shoulder. "Do not forget to tell Lt Paris. He will wish to know. I will be in my quarters. The doors will be set to allow you in." She seemed to snap out of it at that, but I was already out the door.

"Thank you." I heard her say just as the doors slid all the way shut. A warmth settled over me, though my abdomen was curling into a knot.

My quarters were different from the others I had seen. I programmed it so that it was continually in fifty percent light and it threw the room into a different contrast. With the lights fully on, it looked virtually unchanged, but when dimmed… it was different.

Shadows were thrown onto the walls from the carefully placed objects. Though everything had its place, there were several storage cabinets that held the garments the captain insisted I replicate and the some of the things I did enjoy, such as a katoscat board.

I went over to where the small replicator was and flicked through a bunch of selections, eventually settling on a nutritional drink. Though the doctor urged me to eat substantial food, it was rather difficult to change the habit of having very little to eat.

I had settled into one corner of the couch and was drifting off to sleep when I heard someone pause outside my doors. It brought me back from the brink of sleep and I commanded the computer to open my doors.

It revealed a surprised B'Elanna on the other side. She was hesitant to enter the room.

"Computer lights full illumination." Instantly the room was flooded with light. She took a quick glance around before stepping into the room. None of her usual confidence surrounded her. I indicated the rest of the seats in the room with a sweep of my hand.

"Please, accommodate yourself." Not exactly smooth, but effective in bringing a weak chuckle from her.

"I think you mean make yourself comfortable." She perched on the armchair.

"Are you requiring assistance?" I hoped she didn't hear my concern in the words.

"I just don't know how to tell him." B'Elanna murmured. "We talked about it before, but he doesn't want to have children. He'll think I did it on purpose to get around him." She was crestfallen. I stood up and replicated two hot teas. I handed her one and she took an automatic sip. She grimaced at the taste.

"It will help you calm down." She took another sip and made another face. "If Lt. Paris does not understand that he helped in the impregnation that occurred and is therefore just as much at fault, then he does not deserve you." B'Elanna had to take a minute to decipher what I said. When she did, she burst out laughing.

"I never thought of that. Just don't say that to Tom, he'll be confused for a month." B'Elanna looked at the tea, and then downed it in one gulp. "Gods this stuff is awful." She seemed to let out all the tension in her body. "Do you know what? I feel like dancing. Tom will be at Sardine's, so will you join me? I hate dancing alone."

"I do not know how to dance." I replied. There was a questionable fluttering in my abdominal cavity.

"I insist." B'Elanna said. She grabbed one of my hands and pulled me to my feet. "Trust me, you'll have fun." I was pulled out of my quarters before I even had a chance to complain.

She took me to one of the small holodecks. She flicked through a few programs before turning to me.

"Nightclub or ballroom?" she asked me. I was helpless, I had no idea which to chose.

"Lt., I"

"B'Elanna." She corrected firmly.

"B'Elanna." I repeated compliantly. "I comprehend very little of the more physical activities of human society." It nearly killed me to admit it, but I had never had anyone to try it with, except for the captain, who was usually busy, though she tried her hardest to be there for me.

"Nightclubbing it is then." She tapped on one of the two programs and went in. The darkened room with flashing lights overhead and throbbing music left me rooted to where I was. Bodies were everywhere, moving rhythmically to the sounds. B'Elanna reappeared and grabbed my hand. "Come on Seven!" I was pulled into the throng. The doors disappeared behind me.

She led me deep into the room. When she stopped, she began mimicking the style of dancing around her. I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. I observed the holocharacters around me.

"Dance Seven!" B'Elanna roared over the music. She turned her back to me and ran her hands over my shoulders and down my sides. I knew I was flawed, but I tried my best to follow her lead, carefully watching the other pairs dancing. Soon I adopted one of the styles I saw and concentrated on that.

The throbbing of the music in my head, coupled with the distraction of the woman dancing with me, forced me to drop my guards. I let myself go and was swept away by the forces around me.

I didn't notice the other dancers give us room only that B'Elanna began a more complex puzzle of a dance. I matched her, stride for stride, with complementary movements. Only when the music changed did I notice anything at all.

"I thought you said you never danced before." B'Elanna said between breaths. I nodded in confirmation, my own breaths long and drawn out. "I wish I had your talent for picking things up." She gave me a wink and held out a hand to me. "Care for a dance?"

I spared a quick glance around. The music was softer and the people who had danced in pairs were closer, their bodies pressed against each other.

"I believed this is termed as a slow dance." I said as I stepped towards the fiery klingon. She laughed.

"Yes it is Seven." She slid her hands behind my neck and linked them together. Remember vaguely having seen this once, I placed my hands on the small of her back. From the chest down, our bodies touched. I had to force myself to keep breathing.

"I think this is the most relaxed I've ever seen you." B'Elanna murmured. She tucked a stray hair behind my ear. A stream of heat went from my ear down. I swallowed.

"This is one of the few times I have seen you calm and smiling." I replied. She sighed at that.

"Hey Seven, I'm sorry, I know you're not a bad person, the way you acted just…" She couldn't find the words. I knew exactly what she was looking for.

"Irritating, annoying, and disrespectful." I supplied for her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Yes, I would say that." She commented.

"It was never meant to be disrespectful. I hold you in the utmost regard." I breathed. She stopped moving entirely, forcing me to still.

"You did it on purpose?" I could hear her temper rising. She pulled away, her hands balling into fists.

"Yes." My answer was blunt, but honest. Her eyes flashed and I knew she was mad.

"Why the hell would you do that?" she snarled. She glared at me.

"Because you could express what I could not even feel. In your passion, you display a unique beauty." I turned my head to the side. "I apologize. I must be leaving Lt." I headed towards where I knew the doors would be.

I had almost reached the doorway when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked to see B'Elanna standing there with a soft look in her eyes. "It's done and in the past. Come." She pulled me to her and wrapped her arms around my waist. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and rested my head on her shoulder. She leaned her cheek on my forehead. We stayed like that, even when the music changed and began to throb. We stayed like that until we forced to leave when our hologrid time was up.


	4. Memories of Gossip

Author's note: I would like to say I'm sorry for neglecting to post. I don't know how this is, I wrote it a long while back, so I thought I would post this up. As always, reviews are welcome.

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She had just told him. He was staring at her with a mixed look of disbelief and surprise. B'Elanna could only hope that it would turn to happiness.

No such luck. "What!" He shouted. He stretched forward until his face was barely an inch from her. His rarely shown explosive temper rose to the surface, turning his handsome face an ugly shade of red. "What do you mean you're pregnant?" She stepped back from him.

"Just that Tom. We're going to have a baby." She smiled, trying to mask her fear. She was scared for herself, she could easily handle Tom if his temper got the best of him, but she wanted him to want the child.

"We can't be! We're… too young to be considering children." He was wavering.

"Tom, it's our child. There isn't anything wrong with it." B'Elanna snapped. Tom immediately developed a smile.

"Of course there isn't. It just might not be the best time for a child. Can we talk about this later? I'm up early for a shift in the sickbay." B'Elanna nodded. Hopefully, talking to the doctor would let Tom open his eyes.

Later that night, B'Elanna couldn't fall asleep. She kept thinking how Seven had felt in her arms and the feeling of total acceptance that had surrounded her the entire time. When she finally fell asleep, late into the night, images filled her dreams.

* * *

I tapped the console, glad to finally be allowed to do something useful. As much as both the captain and the doctor insisted otherwise, leisure time was not something I found attractive.

Though sometimes I wondered if it was because of my solitude that formed my opinion rather than the experience I gained. At those times, I would shake the thoughts out of my head and focus harder on whatever task was at hand.

"Doctor to Seven of Nine." The Doctor's voice over the comm. system rang out in the quiet environment of Astrometrics.

"How may I be of assistance Doctor?" I replied, tapping my comm. badge.

"Dinner time Seven. The Alpha shift ended thirty minutes ago. I must remind you that you are not to work the long hours you did before." I felt an urge to growl, but I smothered it in iron control.

"I recall your orders Doctor. However, it would be inefficient to cease the scan I was in the process of completing. I am now merely taking the time to analyze the data received." I replied.

"Seven, your shift has ended, so its time to stop working and go play." The doctor had taken on that tone he usually reserves for Naomi. "Go eat Seven. Don't get me to call the captain on this."

"Understood." I tapped my badge once more, ending the conversation. I saved the work I had done thus far on the data and logged out. I left the room, knowing the doctor would checkup to see if I had actually followed his orders. Though he meant well, it was starting to be tiresome, the constant reminders to be more human, as he put it. It was not as though I did not remember his suggestions. I just chose to ignore him.

I entered the mess hall, and found it fairly busy. The Talaxian had his hands full and was serving one of the half a dozen people who waited patiently for his attention. Most of the tables were filled, but there were a few at the back which remained unoccupied. After selecting a nutritional supplement, I headed for them, taking a seat that faced the view of the stars speeding past.

There was a temporary drop in the volume of noise that was in the mess hall the moment I stepped into the room, but once I sat down, they picked up to their normal level of noise. I heard a few comments on my appearance, and was glad to note that none were degrading or insulting, although a few were odd.

The main source of gossip in the mess hall was the pregnancy of Lt B'Elanna Torres. Many were exploring the different reactions they expected Tom Paris to take once he found out. Others were merely wondering what this would mean to the relationship between the two.

I sighed as I slowly tuned out the people around, instead focusing on the stars. They were beautiful, in their own way. Though many people on the ship had lost their taste for the picturesque stars gleaming in the sky, the image still managed to bring me peace, if only for a brief moment.

I nearly jumped when I heard, then saw B'Elanna sit in front of me, snapping me from my line of thought. I focused on her face, searching the tired eyes that were regarding me wearily.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked. A quick glance around the room, and I could see why she chose to sit here rather than elsewhere. At least with me, she wouldn't be approached by the different crewmembers with offers of congratulations and good wishes. I smiled crookedly to myself.

"No." I replied simply, taking a sip of the murky grey liquid I held. I could see the tension in her shoulders. They were taunt and obviously knotted. For a brief moment, I wished I could reach out and somehow make it dissipate. I shook off the uncomfortable thoughts and dropped my gaze to my supplement.

"I don't think I ever thought I would prefer your company to the rest of the crew." B'Elanna commented out of the blue. I looked up to see her looking around the room.

"Not many like to interact with an Ice Queen." I stated with a shrug, wrapping my human hand around the supplement. At the bewildered look I received from the Lt. I decided to elaborate. "The crew is too intimidated by my appearance and my past to approach me in anything more than professional terms, and only with great reluctance even then, with exceptions."

"You… you know what they call you?" B'Elanna turned a bright red and had begun to stammer.

"My enhanced hearing causes people to misjudge the distance to which I am capable of hearing. I am quite aware of the remarks the crew make of me." She went redder and her temperature rose significantly. A reaction that I determined resulted from extreme embarrassment.

"You know what I called you then." A simple statement.

"That is correct."

"I'll go." B'Elanna picked up her tray to go to another table.

"Do not bother Lt. This…" I felt myself becoming angry at the actions of the hybrid. I tried to smother them, but it would not be quelled this time. "piece of equipment will leave. Enjoy your meal." I cast a single glare to the rest of the room as I stood up. With my usual pace, I strode out of the room. Very little of the changes had scared me, but the rage that bubbled through my systems terrified me with its inherent violence. I directed myself towards my quarters.

I walked right past the captain without even a greeting. She, however, must have noticed something in my facial features, for she held out a hand to stop me mid stride.

"Seven? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" She asked, her eyes searching me for the answers.

I pulled my arm from her grasp with a swift jerk. "I am functioning within acceptable parameters. Your pet project was just returning to her quarters." I didn't mean to snap at her, but from the instant shock that was displayed on her face, I had. Before she could regain herself, I was already out of sight, feeling a violent urge to damage something.

Once I entered my room, I sealed the doors, commanding to the computer to allow no one. To make sure no one would try to bypass the seal, I encrypted the command with a Borg encryption code that I had yet to use, and would take both Lt Tuvok and Lt Torres hours of work to break. Only an emergency would allow anyone into the room.

I was suddenly glad for the privacy of my quarters, for tears began to escape from my human eye. The rage that had swamped my mind left as quickly as it came replaced by a great sense of hurt, one I had always denied myself to feel. So I just let the tears fall from my eye as I curled up in the armchair. After a few moments, I didn't recall anything but a pain that ran down my spine.


End file.
